Big rains out west - still waiting for something around here

Storm setup across the west for the next few days

It's very exciting to see that California is going to finally get some rain. It's moisture they have been waiting on for a very long time and although it won't wipe out the drought entirely, it will certainly help ease things a little. So much of the state (about half) is considered in "exceptional drought", which is the top of the scale. You may have read my blog a few weeks back talking about El Nino now finally showing it's early stages in the Pacific, and that will hopefully bring more timely rains to the West.

There is a tremendous onshore flow with the swirling storm over the Pacific. That is moisture coming straight in from the ocean and helping to create the beneficial rainfall.

Drought status in California

We keep waiting for something around here. Although our situation isn't as desperate, we could definitely use some rain or snow. And we keep waiting. There are a series of small storms that will come through the Plains between now and the start of next week, but none of them look all that strong and moisture will be limited. The best we can hope for will be some sprinkles, but anything more significant than that is likely still 8-10 days out (maybe even longer)